NEXT

Have you ever looked under the hood of your car? Maybe to fill the windshield wiper fluid or check the oil level (after searching for the little handle for 15 mins) or maybe just out of obligation after hearing a strange sound (vainly hoping that in staring at things, divine illumination will come and God will speak from heaven, “it is your water pump”). Regardless of when you look under that car hood, we probably all experience the same realization “I have no idea what 90% of these things do” yet we all know that each small part, little hose, little screw plays a vital if not essential roll in making the car function and get us places. And NEXT is no different.

Under the “Hood” of NEXT and behind scenes, there is an army of servants and volunteers that have been working countless hours, offering many prayers, printing every name tag, organizing books to be sold, making really cool banners, you name it someone has been doing it. There is a ton that goes on under the hood to make a conference like NEXT run and not break down on the side of the road. If we were able to see the list of things to do and how many balls that the NEXT team is juggling, I think we would all be amazed.

So when you arrive at NEXT, get through registration, and are greeted by many cheerful people, thank them. We you walk through the bookstore and enjoy cool displays, thank those who work at the bookstore. When you arrive at a main session, the videos are playing, the sound is cranking, the lights are awesome, thank those working on Tech. When you are sitting listening to awesome life changing sermons, think about all that has gone into preparing that sermon and thank them. When you are at your Community Group and Family Groups and are connecting with people around the word of God, thank those leading. When you stop by the help desk because you have lost that little NEXT booklet for the 5th time, think about the hours of research and design that has gone into that booklet and thank them.

In fact whenever we bump into someone serving on the NEXT team lets make sure they are aware of how we are grateful for them. You may not understand anything under the hood of your car, but you can be thankful that every piece there. Lets be equally grateful both in words and in prayers for those serving behind the scenes at NEXT 2010. We are going to encounter God because in part they are there making things run!
So to help you in your prayers, here is a short list folks that are leading various aspects of NEXT. Lets all find some time over the next month to prayer for them by name, I know they would all be so grateful for all your prayers

• Josh Harris – Leading Conference
• Grant Layman – Co-leading conference with Josh
• Paul Medler – Conference Director
• Jo Medler – Registration
• Mindy Hooper – Bookstore
• Darryl Wenger - Technical Director (Sessions)
• Latricia Reichman – Session Director
• Isaac Hydoski – Community Groups

It’s 6am on Friday, May 28th. You’re standing in a parking lot loading your luggage into your van or bus. Maybe you’re in an airport terminal waiting to board your plane. Standing next to you are your fellow Nexters. For the next 4 days you will laugh, talk, sleep, eat, walk, and pray with these people. How can you bless them?

It’s an 8hr bus drive for my church. What about you? For some Baltimore is practically next door. For others it is on the other side of the globe. What will you do on your trip?

No matter the distance you have an unique opportunity to serve and bless those you are traveling with. Instead of “just another car ride”, this time could be used to encourage others and put them before yourself. You can glorify the Savior and show His love to them by making the time meaningful. What would this look like for you?

The possibilities are endless and will probably differ depending on your friends preferences and personalities. Here are a few ideas to jump start your creative juices…

• As Next draws nearer, pray for your friends. Pray specifically. As you travel, share with your friends the ways you have been praying for them.
• Take time to point out areas where you see God working in your friends life. My friends and I call this, “Pointing out evidences of God’s gracious working”. It is always encouraging to see God at work in your life!
• Write your friends notes. Include scriptures and ways that you have been praying for them. Give them the notes at some point during the trip.
• Plan a couple of wacky travel games.
• Create a random playlist on your iPod. Make sure to include your friends favorite songs!
• Compile a list of their favorite snack foods. At the start of the trip, give them each a small bag full of their favorite goodies. Everyone needs chocolate on a trip!
• If you’re leaving early bring breakfast for your friends. Muffins and donuts are easy to make/buy, they’re cheap, and easy to transport. And if you have a friend with food allergies, make/buy them something they can eat. It may take a little effort, but the thought will really bless them!
• During a gas station stop (or during a layover), buy your friends a soda or a cup of coffee. Make it Starbucks and they may make you the MVN (Most Valuable Nexter) of the trip!
• Surprise your friends with a pack of their favorite gum or mints.

What would you add to the list?

Thanks to Paul Medler, more hotel options have been posted on our conference page. If you are still looking for hotel accommodations, look no further…

Next 2010 Hotel Recommendations

Update: We apologize for our website difficulties. Thank you for your patience. They have been solved. The web page should display now.

One thing I often forget when looking at preparing to come to a conference like NEXT, is preparing myself and even expecting to be used by God to serve others. I struggle with seeing this event as just a time to “receive from God”, which undoubtedly it is… but as Church life is not about simply receiving but giving as well, so it is with NEXT. Be expectant that God wants to and will use you in other peoples lives just as people have been used in yours!

I can also suffer from being oddly self focused and selfish during the NEXT conference. It is a very special time for us to interact with God, yet sometimes I get distracted by what I want God to do in my life, what I need, what blesses me, how I feel, and other things (which are not bad per-sea).  I can ignore others needs and opportunities to serve them because I am distracted by WHAT I NEED NOW!

God often meets our needs when serving others. Now I’m not encouraging us to be a group of Martha’s, but sometimes we can be so determined to sit at Jesus’ feet, that we can pass the lame man on the way. Am I, are you, willing to sacrificially serve at this conference? Are we willing to set aside time with friends to serve a need we see spiritually, physically or otherwise… Are we willing to put aside our own “needs” if God calls us to that to aid another? I mean come on! We just spent 125+ dollars to come to this conference (not including all other costs it entail)s… and we did all this just so we can serve? (By the way a great deal of people putting on the NEXT conference are doing just that for us, some of them year in and year out.)

God gave me a picture a while ago that really encouraged me in my serving and I hope it serves you.

There was a worn man hoeing in a vast empty field to no avail. He is working consistently, desperately. He knows if he does not till the soil and plant the seed he will lack the food to live.
After hours and much pain with little advancement in his field he stops to rest and looks up. In the distance he sees a tired man toiling in futility as well. As he sweats under the blazing midday sun, watching the other man, a struggle is born in his heart.
Finally with a heavy sigh the worn man picks up his hoe and walks the many acres of empty, hard land and begins to work next to the tired man in his field. The tired man looks up in surprise and simply the presence of another brings a smile to his face despite the futility of their actions and the doom that seems inevitable.

They till the earth for hours and as they look back they see they made minor headway, even though to them it is as if they tilled a mile. They look at each other, smile, and continue to work as hope is born.

The worn man pauses as the other continues to works. He looks around as if hearing something. Turning back around to look at his own field there is a massive machine tilling his earth. He is dumbstruck and the other he is helping does not even notice.

I need to remember God does not provide in the manner I think, because I think strangely, warped. I should not be so distracted by my position that I SELFISHLY pursue personal holiness. As I sacrificially serve and till in another field, that is not my own, do I think God will let me starve?  He will not let my soul go hungry. He will not let my well run dry. He will till the earth of my heart and fill the stream of my soul.

Whether we are challenged to serve or sit at His feet, we must remember HE provides and changes us. We don’t have to be in the session (though I’d encourage you not to miss a single one), we don’t have to be the one being prayed for (but don’t miss an opportunity for prayer), we don’t even have to have the right heart (though it makes it a lot easier) all we need is God. So we don’t have to be worried about getting all we can out of NEXT and miss an opportunity to help someone else get all they can out of it. 

What are some practical ways to serve at NEXT?

If you’re anything like me, you may already be pretty familiar with the cross. So why read yet another article about it? Why consider picking up yet another book about it?

That’s exactly what I was thinking at the beginning of this year. Like a good Christian, I try to keep Christ’s work at the center of my Christian life (see 1 Cor 15:3 for why this is a good idea) but I wasn’t particularly eager to read another book on the cross this year. But that was until I was a few pages into D.A. Carson’s new book Scandalous. I read the same truths I’d known, but Carson said them in a slightly different way that made them seem new. And I realized I needed the truths as much as ever.

Maybe Carson’s book won’t affect you the way it affected me. But I’m pretty sure about one thing: You need the truths of Christ’s work, you need to here them again, and you just might need to hear them in a new way. That’s why we’re spending our April Webzine on articles related to Christ’s work. Each is on a different aspect of what Christ accomplished through his death and resurrection. Some might be familiar, but others are probably brand new to you. Our hope is that as you read these won’t become “just another article about the cross” but that the truth of the cross will grip you again.

• R.C. Sproul –– Debtors, Enemies, Criminals
• C.J. Mahaney –– Fighting Legalism and Condemnation with the Cross
• D.A. Carson –– Redemption
• John Piper –– To Absorb the Wrath of God
• Robin Boisvert –– Peace with God
• J.I. Packer –– Salvation
• Martin Luther –– True Contemplation of the Cross

If somehow you could know for certain that your attendance of this conference would yield no spiritual fruit in your life, would you still come?  I think it’s safe to say many of us wouldn’t.  We’ve got other things going on – responsibilities, plans, expenses.  Having said that, I’d venture that there are hundreds of people planning to attend this conference who are coming with a sense of faith in what God will do in our hearts.  But, having the desire to engage with God is not necessarily the same as intentionally seeking after Him.

Because God often uses “means of grace” (rather than, say, audible messages from angelic beings, burning bush theophanies, etc.) we can expect to engage with God in all the main facets of the conference and beyond.  And we’d do well to think in advance about some ways to lean forward and be proactive in our desire to engage with God once we’re there.

Singing

From the very first note, I want to take in truth and be awed by a sense of the majesty and mercy of Jesus Christ.  I don’t want to follow the dictates of my feelings which will meander on about jetlag and caffeine deprivation, or – more seriously – about how I shouldn’t approach God since patterns of sin have been so dominant in recent weeks.  Instead, I want to do Colossians 3:16:  I want God’s Word to dwell more deeply in my heart as a result of our “admonishing one another in songs … singing with thankfulness in our hearts to God”.  When the first note starts, I don’t want to be on my cell phone or slapping high fives with friends I met last year.  I want to seize the corporate worship moment by engaging my mind with great thoughts of God.  I can slap high fives later (see below).

Scripture

The longest chapter in the Bible is a meditation on the value of God’s Word.  It’s as though the Psalmist sat down on a rock somewhere with a notebook and thought to himself, “Now, what does God’s Word do for my soul?”  170 something verses later he put his pen down in awe of what God’s Word gets done in His people.

I believe that a desire to engage with God translates into many seemingly small things.  For one, when the text of Scripture is announced, my pages start turning.  When the pastor asks for God’s help in prayer, I’m joining in and saying under my breath, “Yes Lord, speak.  Open my ears and my heart.  Search me and know my thoughts.  Show me the Savior again.  Teach me Your ways.”

People

We’re in close proximity for four days, which allows lots of time for fun, relationship-building, and opportunities to step out and serve others through fellowship.  Opportunities abound for mutual encouragement in the faith, speaking the truth in love, praying for each other, being the first to step out and share in family groups, communicating thankfulness to those who are serving in the conference.

God intends to do great things in our lives throughout our time in Baltimore.  There are some things that He’ll no doubt do in places we know to expect it.  And maybe He’ll throw in a few surprises.  The point is that I want to lean into God’s purposes.  I want to have ears to hear and a heart that is engaged:  eager, attentive, waiting, expectant.

I hope you all had a great Easter! He is Risen indeed!

It is late and I had a really wacky weekend prepping church stuff for Easter, driving eight hours to Orlando to bring my sister up here to spend time with family and the like. During this crazy time God gave me this thought:

How have YOU prepared your heart for Easter? Sure you’ve served, and I love that… but what have you done to simply be near me?

I realized I had done relatively little and then I had this thought:

How am I preparing for NEXT? 

We’ve got to be proactive in setting the Cross ever before us, constantly speaking truth to ourselves. Preaching who God is and fortifying out hearts with scripture and theology,  in order to battle sin. We prep ourselves for battle, but for some reason we it seems like we forget to prepare for the banquet.

We ask God for victory over sin, prep ourselves mentally and spiritually, talk to others about it and seek God in the word when going into battle… but what about when approaching blessing? 
Sure, we will be changed by God at NEXT if we just show up, but just like any investment don’t we want to get the MOST return possible? If we want to get the most out of NEXT, we’ve got to prepare our hearts. We should be doing all we can to till the soil of our soul in recognition and faith that God plaints seed and brings fruit to fruition during this special time. NEXT is very much like a spiritual marathon. No one just shows up to a marathon and runs it. They train so they can enjoy the race and be prepared to get the most out of the experience. So we must also prepare spiritually, that we may enjoy to the fullest extent our times with God and understand the deeper aspects of the theology we will be hearing. (1 Cor. 9)

Ok with all that said above… How do we actually prepare? Here are a couple of ideas:

• Be purposeful with the music and other forms of entertainment you engage in. Not that you can’t listen to rap, pop, or non-christian music or watch fun and entertaining movies, but garbage in garbage out right? More than that it trains our minds to be purposeful and then apply that mindset in other areas of our lives.
• Be vigilant in your quiet-time! Protect those times spent with God knowing that you are not just reaping the benefits in the moment, but planting seeds for the future as well.
• Pray and FAST specifically for your time at the conference!!! This is an amazing opportunity for “getting God’s attention” or rather, placing ourselves closer to His throne. Isaiah 58:6-12 is one of the most amazing promises outside the New Testament and it specifically pertains to fasting. It is such an encouragement.

These are very simple things we should be doing every single day, and if you’re like me and need an extra excuse to make them a habit… well then prepping to get the most out of the NEXT conference is a great one. ;)

Please, please, please be purposeful in preparing yourself for NEXT! It will bless you so. Scripture guarantees us “draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

I have a hard time narrowing down my favorite part of Next. How is it possible to have a favorite aspect; what is there not to like? However, each year I eagerly anticipate the release of the Speaker line-up. I look forward to sitting under (in my opinion), some of the best Christian speakers available to us today. This year is no different. I’m especially excited to have Jeff Purswell join us again! For those that have never heard Jeff, you’re in for a treat! Over the years I have had the opportunity to listen under each of these men. I am so grateful for how they always point me to God and the Gospel. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us this year!!!

Maybe you’ve never been to Next before. You’re not sure what to expect. Or maybe you’ve heard most of the speakers, but one or two of them are new to you. If that is the case, then we’d like to introduce them to you. A couple months back, Matt Mason & Christopher Campbell, did a series of posts introducing each speaker. Take a second to meet these godly men of God…

Joshua Harris

D.A. Carson

Jeff Purswell

Kevin DeYoung

Mark Dever

C.J. Mahaney

“It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.” Hudson Taylor

One of the highlights of last year’s conference was the opportunity to thank the Prayer Team. While we were enjoying the conference, there was a group of people praying for us…by name. They didn’t come to the conference for themselves. They came to serve us. They spent weeks in prayer before the conference began. They spent 4 days in a small room doing one thing…praying. The last day of the conference, Josh asked them to come on stage. The applause was deafening. God had heard the prayers of His children…2,000+ people had been affected and they were grateful for those prayers! What a joy it was to thank this humble group of fellow Christians.

The Prayer Team expressed that they were blessed and encountered God just as much as the conference attendees. Here is what they had to say…

From their early years it has been a privilege and joy to be involved with the major shaping events of our sons’ and daughter’s lives…So when a request was sent out for individuals to pray during and at the conference, my wife and I had faith to respond. We did not know what to expect - except the sure knowledge that 1) God moves in response to the prayers of his people, and 2) God is eager to reveal himself to the thirsty. We spent the weekend praying in a back room with a small, committed group of people from various parts of the country. At times it was work. At times is was exciting hearing reports of activity in the conference that corresponded so exactly with the petitions that were being uttered. On the last day our small group was unexpectedly asked to come into the conference and up on stage. When we were introduced as the group who had been praying for them and the conference - a tsunami of appreciation erupted which I still can vividly recall. The overwhelming joy and gratefulness that exploded from thousands of voices and faces shouted one loud truth:

To be even a small part of such an amazing event is a treasure not quickly forgotten. -Steve

I found the time spent praying for the conference as much (and more) of a spirit-filled experience as if I had attended the sessions. I went to serve, but walked away having encountered the spirit in a very unexpected way.
My personal faith in prayer was strengthened, and I learned thru Tim’s leadership and example to ‘pray the word’. This has greatly assisted me in a practice that started in 2009 of taking prayer walks in my neighborhood 2-3x/week - a practice that continues to this day. -Yvonne

I am so grateful that I was on the NEXT 2009 prayer team. The time I spent pleading with the Savior to change lives changed my heart and made me more passionate to see Him at work in my life. - Ruthanna

As I had to the opportunity to pray for Next, God opened my eyes to what he wanted to do in our hearts and in the conference as a whole. When I attended the main meetings, my heart was already postured before the Lord and ready to receive. The experience of praying for a meeting, and then seeing my prayers answered before my eyes was a joy I will not soon forget. - Rob

We are looking for people to volunteer to be apart of the Next 2010 Prayer Team. If you would like to sign-up, need more information, or would like to pass along information to someone, please click HERE. The Next Staff will be happy to serve you!

What ever happened to caravans and schooners?  I miss the “good ol’ days” when we traversed the globe in search of treasure, food and riches with the help of beasts of burden… Perhaps I will rent a camel and make the journey down I-95 from Philly to Baltimore for NEXT. … Rent-A-Camel

As I am mulling over that option, here are some other thoughts that may be of help as you are descending upon Balmer (as some in Baltimore pronounce it). 

First, check out this site: Baltimore Tourism … it is probably way more helpful than me.

Second, consider arranging transportation with friends from your church.  This may be carpooling, flying together, taking the train together or simply sitting in the back of a covered wagon singing “O My Darlin’ Clementine” together.  One year, a highlight of the conference for me was spending time with people from my church traveling and building anticipation for the time… then on the way back, declaring God’s praise as we recounted the rich time was a huge blessing.  You may find that God meets you before you hit the Inner Harbour. 

Third, consider using Google maps.  You might be thinking – how much are they paying this guy to blog?  Give it a chance – Google Maps is great.  Take this scenario (Google-Trip-Planner)… say you are leaving from Goochland…. Yes, that is the name of a real town!  It is just outside Richmond VA, and I will buy a coffee for the first person who can find me at NEXT and prove to me (with your driver’s license) that you are from Goochland VA.  Anyway, you leave from Goochland and you need to stop for a potty break.  Where do you stop?  The Ukrop’s at 4250 Plank Rd, is rated as a very clean bathroom break point.  {Yes, there are place on the Internet where you can find public restrooms that are rated by cleanliness}  Then, perhaps you want coffee – where to?  Let Google help – Starbucks is right on your way back to the Highway… then, maybe one of your friends wants some Doritos or Beef Jerky… where to next – The 7-11 at 1445 Old Bridge Road, Woodbridge works great!  I think you get the point.  It is quite handy.

Fourth, take care of your travel arrangements as soon as possible.  When you are preparing to meet with God, you don’t want your day fettered with thoughts of where you should have parked, how to find the cheapest plane fare or how much grain you need to bring to feed your transport “vehicle.”  You want to maximise your time with God and His people…

So, use some planning tools, rent some livestock and a wagon, talk to your friends… just do it now – NEXT is just 56 days away!

Five minutes today will save you $25 on your NEXT registration. So do it before it’s too late…5 min for $25.

Today is the last day to register under the Early Bird Registration.

Register HERE.

If you haven’t reserved a hotel room, I’d recommend you do so quickly!

The Hilton is sold out.

The Marriott is almost at full-capacity.

Don’t panic! The Next team is working with other hotels and we should have another hotel or two to recommend to you. We will be posting hotel updates as soon as the rates have been confirmed. Stay tuned…

Click HERE to view recommended hotels.

There are so many things that come to mind when thinking of ways to serve our friends before the NEXT conference. The first one that came to mind and I think the most important one is to pray! My prayer for my friends and for myself is always that God would prepare our hearts for what He has in store for us during this conference. God has something in mind for each and every person that will be attending the conference. Pray that God would give them a focused heart and an undistracted mind. It’s easy to bring our busy lives with us to the conference, but I feel that God is able to work most in our hearts when we’ve left our lives at home, and have dedicated our hearts and minds to learn and grow closer to Him.

Make it a point to ask your friends how they would like prayer, and how they expect God to meet them—which areas they seek to be encouraged in and make it a point to let them know you are praying for them. Maybe God has it on your heart to pray for one specific friend over the next few weeks, or maybe you can pray for a different friend each week, but encourage them and let them know that you are carrying them on your heart and praying for them.

What are some practical ways you could serve your friends? Leave a comment and let’s share our ideas!

58 days till NEXT!!

It’s here again. That little reminder. If you’re tempted to hit snooze, you may want to reconsider. On Thursday, April 1st (just 5 days away) registration will increase!!!

So before you meet your friends for coffee or you attempt to rid the world of Outlook reminders (and annoying people like me), take a minute to register. And to make things easier, click HERE, it will take you to the registration page.

Need more info? No problem! Here’s a couple of links that you may find helpful!!!

Conference Overview

Travel & Lodging

Conference Schedule


61 days until Next 2010!!!

Don’t forget, if you are a leader (bringing at least 8 people) or a single parent, your registration is free! Just fill out the request form HERE.

Hahaha-just wanted you to do a double take- this is actually:

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD GO TO NEXT

1.  Just do something-wink wink…

2.  Keep the main thing the main thing-now, I ALWAYS can use a refresher and encouragement in my focus on the gospel!

3.  C.J. Mahaney, Jeff Purswell, D.A. Carson, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, and Josh Harris-guys these men are preaching at this conference for a reason!

4.  “By This We Know Love”-NEXT worship (this is a song by Judah Groveman that was sung at NEXT last year-you have to be there to understand what it is like to worship with a thousand plus other believers!).

5.  Community Group wonderfulness- meeting in the morning with other groggy-eyed people to prepare your heart for the day and apply what you have learned (this is also a definite way of meeting new people…).

6.  Meet MaryAnn (meet and make wonderful NEW friends-if you do not know anybody at all, don’t let this stop you from going…people I met at last years NEXT have become some of my closest friends-just trust God, He will provide!).

7.  See Jordan (catch-up with wonderful OLD friends, who live in different states, who you REALLY miss!).

8.  Hang with Kathryn (have a whole weekend-often including the trip down and back-to build and share what the Lord is teaching you with friends you spend life with on a regular basis).

9.  Yawn and drink coffee- oh yah, nothing beats the wonderful late night talks that can turn into delirious laughter as you reach the wee hours of the morning thus increasing your need for caffeine (by the way, thanks MaryAnn and Emily for the coffees).

10.  EXPECT the Holy Spirit to move in your heart and reveal truth (God has a wonderful way of meeting us when you intentionally seek Him).